Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson walks off the field with his son after the Bills defeated the Green Bay Packers 21-13 on Dec. 14, 2014, at Ralph WIlson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. (AP Photo/The Buffalo News, Harry Schull, Jr.)

Orchard Park, N.Y. — Other than a few tweets, Buffalo Bills players haven't publicly voiced their thoughts on Doug Marrone abruptly opting out of his contract last Wednesday night. On Monday morning, veteran running back Fred Jackson was on WGR 550 and captured the feeling of the players when they got the text message from Marrone on New Year's Eve.

"Anytime you get a text message saying that it's happening, you feel like you got punched in the stomach," Jackson said. "Stuff could have been handled different. We all weren't in the room and understand what went down. But it's like I said man, what we've got to do as players is not dwell on it and let it be what it is.

"We're going to try to move on and continue to try to get this thing moving in the right direction. With the ownership and Doug Whaley doing the things that they do, we have all the confidence in them. We'll get this thing fixed."

"He's just going to be another guy," Jackson said. "Obviously we'll want to beat him when we play him, but it's not going to fuel or motivate us in any different capacity. He's just another guy now. He's not somebody that we're worried about what he's doing, it's going to be about the guys in that locker room focusing on us and what it is we have to get done."

Jackson was also asked about the offensive struggles and how much offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett may have been held back. The running back didn't hesitate to come to Hackett's defense as the offensive coordinator remains in limbo while the Bills and Marrone figuring out their next moves.

"I love Nate," Jackson said. "I love what he brought to the table. He was a guy that, just like anybody else on the team, was under fire with the lack of performance that we had as an offensive unit. I could definitely see him not getting to do some of the things that he wanted to do. I had some conversations with him and it wasn't always at times what he wanted to get done. I hope the best for him. He's a great coach, a guy that I loved playing for. A lot of guys loved playing for him. We'll see what happens and how everything works out."

From the sounds of it, Jackson thinks Hackett may have opened things up a bit more if he had the pieces on offense to do so and the game plan had called for it.

"He was an aggressive guy and always has been since I've known him," Jackson said. "When some of the things were called that didn't kind of fit his mold, that is what it is. He couldn't do what he wanted to do, but knowing Nate, Nate's a guy that likes to go big or go home. Some of the stuff that he wanted to call we didn't get called in a game. I don't know if that was always his call."

Maybe that will change under a new coach. The Bills already have a long list of candidates set to interview for the job, and a fresh start could be just what this offense needs after an underwhelming 2014 season.